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Qamishli, Syria – On Saturday, hundreds of displaced residents from the war-torn city of Hasakah arrived in the nearby city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, after escaping violence caused by advance of militants of the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS).

Fierce clashes took place across Hasakah between the Kurdish forces and militants of the Islamic State, coinciding with artillery shelling by pro-regime forces on locations taken by IS militants in ht past two days.

The IS group used car bombs to target the regime-held security headquarters in central Hasakah.

The nearby city of Qamishli is expecting larger numbers of displaced civilians from Hasakah, after IS control over several governmental institutions in the city and the continuation of clashes across Hasakah.

Speaking to ARA News, Hussein al-Abdullah, displaced man from Hasakah who arrived to Qamishli on Saturday, said: “Several shells hit Aziziyah neighborhood (in Hasakah) on Friday. A state of panic hit civilians’ ranks, causing a large movement of displacement from the neighborhood.”

“The situation was no different in other neighborhoods of the city, where artillery fire hit residential buildings under the pretext of targeting IS militants,” he said.

“On the other hand, civilians fear further advancement by the terrorists, who are known for their brutality against innocent people. This has caused mass displacement among civilians towards other districts of Hasakah, while hundreds others flee to other cities in the province, such as Qamishli and Amuda,” Abdullah told ARA News.

Kurdish aid worker Muhammad Younis told ARA News that local relief organizations intend to shelter the displaced people in Newroz camp, east of Qamishli.

“We are responsible for each other in this region. We will do our best to provide the displaced families with all necessary aid, hoping that the international organizations would back us in order to reassure a safe haven to those innocent people who escaped the barbaric group of Daesh (IS),” Younis said.